National Security

Letter on the Markle Economic Future Initiative

President's Letter

Publication:

Markle Foundation and Starbucks

Publication Date:

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Dear Friend:

We are writing to tell you about an ambitious new initiative we are undertaking. For millions of people, the American Dream which we hold so dear seems out of reach, a part of America’s storied past. The America we want our children to inherit—a country that is strong and inspires opportunity for all—is at risk. We have concluded that there is nothing more important than committing ourselves to finding ways to advance Americans at all income levels to successfully transition to the economy of the future.

Today, we are honored to share with you the goals of a remarkable and diverse group of fellow Americans who are coming together as members of a new, non-partisan collaborative, the Markle Initiative for America's Economic Future in a Networked World. Joining us in this collaboration are civic leaders, business leaders, technology innovators, and academics of varying viewpoints; their names are listed here.

We share an understanding that the forces of globalization and technology, for all the progress they have brought, have simultaneously disrupted opportunities that have sustained America’s middle class for decades. And we believe that failures in policy choices and in leadership have left the country without a vision for what our success can look like.

The goals of this initiative are to envision and ultimately be a catalyst for an America with broad participation in the global digital economy; and to seek scalable solutions to reinvigorate the American Dream, imagining new strategies for jobs and economic security that can help propel our country into a future where the next generation will once again be better off than the last.

As two people who strongly believe in the promise of the American Dream, the possibility of innovation to overcome and redefine new challenges, and the importance of strong communities, we are excited to announce this new initiative. It will build on our respective organizations’ proven track records of tackling tough challenges and achieving ambitious goals at scale, and be enabled by the deep and diverse expertise brought together in this committed group.

You can learn more about this exciting initiative and stay informed on our progress by clicking on the links below. Thank you for your interest, and we hope for your ongoing support. These are challenging times, but also times that hold tremendous promise.